


Tough choices

by Higgystar



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen, Kink Meme, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:05:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1470898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgystar/pseuds/Higgystar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from the kink meme: For whatever reason Shane and Daryl are sharing a tent and Shane is awoken by Daryl having a major nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tough choices

Space is tight when they travel out from Atlanta, the cars are cramped, the RV only has so much space for an adult to lie down properly and the supplies they’d lost meant there wasn’t too much they could do about having to share. It’s not like Shane hasn’t shared a tent with another man before but heck there was a big difference between a weekend camping trip with Rick as teenagers and the end of the world with Daryl Dixon. The tent is supposed to be for two-men, but Shane reckons the only two men that could fit in this thing comfortably would have to be four foot high and real friendly with each other.

Between the two of them they were making it work though and even if he didn’t appreciate having to share his sleeping space with Daryl and his crossbow, at least the other man didn’t snore. He sighs as watches the ceiling of the tent, able to make out some of the brighter stars through the canopy and feel the slight breeze that rocked the fabric around him. This is nothing like a camping weekend and when he shuts his eyes to get some rest, he’s really hoping sleep will just bring the time he can get out of here along quicker.

Shane doesn’t know how long he’s been asleep, but the sky is still black outside and the heat hasn’t changed much since he’d dozed off. Figuring he was just having a restless night tonight, he rolls onto his side and tries to drift back off before he becomes fully awake. Something startles him, shifting beside him in jerky movements and making small noises of distress. Fully alert in a second he sits up enough to check the tent opening, finding it still thankfully shut against the outside world and any danger there.

There’s no walkers in here, and after he’s breathed a sigh of relief at that, he’s kicked by a stray foot in the shin and gritting his teeth in frustration. It seems his roommate for the night is a restless sleeper and he was not in the mood right now to deal with that. Huffing a little he goes to shove Daryl, to half wake the other man and let him know how fucking annoyed he was that his shifting had woken him up.

Then he hears it. A small sniffle, undoubtedly a sign that the other man was crying whilst he kicked and squirmed in his sleep. “Hey Dixon?” Shane knows he’s not exactly the go to guy for Daryl in any situation, but if the other man was upset, well he couldn’t just lay here and ignore it. There’s no answer and Daryl continues wriggling, his fingers clenching in the pitiful sheets beneath them, pulling a twisting as he lets out a sound that is undoubtedly a sob of terror.

He can never remember if you’re meant to wake someone from a nightmare or leave them to it to work through it on their own but when he lies back down on his side of the tent, all he can feel is the body quivering with upset next to him. Damn if Daryl Dixon wasn’t the biggest pain in his ass, even when unconscious. He can’t leave him like that, not when the man sounds so completely and utterly broken beside him.

Sighing to himself he listens for the sounds of the rest of the group, and all he can notice is the squeak of Dale’s shoes against the roof of the RV. Well he didn’t want that nosey old coot listening in and he knew that Daryl sure as hell wouldn’t appreciate anyone else sticking their nose in where it wasn’t needed. Right now Shane was the only one to know that Daryl Dixon was suffering through what must be a terrifying nightmare, and it was going to stay that way.

There was no love lost between himself and the other man, that was for sure, but right now they were a group and he couldn’t call himself a half decent leader of the group if he allowed one of them to be in distress because of his personal opinions. Keeping his voice low he reaches across the small gap they’d created between them, a silent barrier to emphasise the two sides of the tent.

“Dixon?” He whispers, prodding at the other man’s ribs and getting nothing more than a flinch in return. Scooting a little closer across the ground he tries again, this time shaking Daryl as firmly as he dares to get him to wake up and escape whatever was upsetting him enough to make him cry whilst asleep. “Hey Daryl, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”

In a second Daryl is sitting bolt upright and panting, scrabbling about for purchase on the hard ground beneath them and glancing about the pitch black frantically. Shane can’t see his eyes in the dark, but he knows they’re panicked, full of fear from the nightmare and confusion of not knowing where he was. He doesn’t sit up, but instead simply leans a little closer to the other man, not wanting to make him jump, but needing to let him know he wasn’t alone. Before he can continue in a hushed voice, Daryl gives a half hiccupped sob above him. “Merle?”

Dammit. Though he didn’t have sympathy for the loss of Merle Dixon, he knew what it felt like to lose a brother in this crapsack world. When Rick had been shot he’d been lost in the world, trying to bring him back, talking to him almost everyday and just praying for some kind of reaction. He’d got nothing back and when things had gone to shit, well he’d tried so fucking hard to save him. Now his brother was back, a real miracle considering what he’d had to get through to find his family again. Shane wasn’t hopeful for another miracle happening.

“Nah man Merle ain’t here.” He replies, reaching up to push his sweat soaked hair from his face so he could focus more on the other man and not his own discomfort. “’s just you and me here. Ain’t nobody else.” Though he doesn’t know what had been haunting the man in his sleep, he’s willing to bet whatever it was must have been truly terrifying to make Daryl Dixon react like that.

The other man doesn’t answer, instead flopping back to the ground, breathing heavily and Shane can tell the man is still on edge from his nightmare. He isn’t good at this whole reassurance thing, unless it’s with Rick but the two of them have been through so much together it’s only natural when he helps him out. But right now Daryl Dixon doesn’t have anybody else and he’d lost his brother, left without any answers and praying for the same miracle that Shane had received earlier in the week.

Trying not to think about it too much he leans across the gap between them, tugging Daryl in and ignoring the flinch in the darkness. He doesn’t take notice of Daryl’s resistance, instead just pulling the man close enough to lean against his chest, not exactly a hug but more just a little contact to put the man at ease. It takes a few moments until Daryl settles, still sniffling but finally relaxing a little against him, his breathe still loud and heavy in the cramped tent. Shane doesn’t know if the other man wants to talk about whatever scared him, but he doesn’t want to ask if Daryl’s not forthcoming and besides he knows whatever happens here will never be spoken of again.

Shane knows about the scars. Not that he’d been looking for them, but when he’d taken charge of the group he’d taken notice of the small details, wanting to know as much as he could without asking them personal questions. Rick had always been better at that sort of thing, reading people and situations, but he’d done his best and without trying he’d noticed the scars on Daryl’s back. One snakes out the side of his vest, curling up on his shoulder as Shane holds him there, palm pressed against the raised skin and knowing so many answers and finding even more questions that he’ll never ask about the man.

They lie in silence for a while, Shane just letting the other man gather himself without needing to explain what’s wrong. He may not be used to this sort of thing, but it seems Daryl is finding whatever he’s giving to be helpful in some way. After a while he becomes aware of Daryl’s breathing having stabilised to a normal rhythm, the smaller man not sniffling at all and the trembling had stopped completely. He’s certainly not going to ask what gave him such a bad nightmare, but he’s glad he could give at least a little comfort since Daryl’s brother wasn’t here to do the job.

Lying back against the ground he watches the stars through the canopy, letting his eyes close now that drama was over and hoping to be able to get some sleep. Daryl remains next to him, curled on his side with his head still on Shane’s chest, it’s a position that Daryl clearly feels comfortable and used to in moments like this. He’s just about to doze off when fingers being twisting at his necklace, playing with the charm on the end and sliding it back and forth across the chain. Chuckling a little he can feel Daryl pause, but when there’s no reprimand the fidgeting continues and he can feel as Daryl slides his thumb over the numbers, feeling what it reads in the darkness.

“Twenty-two?”

Shane murmurs in agreement, not bothering to open his eyes, aware that this moment would be easier to pretend never happened if he doesn’t see half of it. It’s not that he’s ashamed of giving comfort where needed, but he knows the kind of man Daryl Dixon is and knows though he appreciates it now, he’ll be hissing and spitting about it later. “My old number in school.” He mutters in reply, giving the explanation he’s used to giving whenever people question it. “Football. If I hadn’t followed Rick into the force I’d have probably tried to go pro.”

“Why’d you wear it?”

Most people don’t ask that, already assuming it’s just a piece of his past he keeps close. But right now he thinks before answering, wanting to let Daryl know he understands his situation, without having to actually talk about it. Giving a little sigh he speaks quietly, keeping this between the two of them. “Because sometimes you need to give up some dreams to make the right choice in life. But that doesn’t mean you have to forget them. Knowing what I gave up and where I am now, reminds me that if I can make that hard a choice and be happy for it, then I can have faith in myself with all my choices, no matter how difficult they are.”

Daryl nods, staying quiet and though he was only being honest about the reason for his necklace, he hopes that his words had given some comfort to the other man. It’s obvious that he’s still grieving in his own way, and he knew it must have been hard to leave Atlanta without his brother, he’d felt that guilt when running from the hospital away from Rick. If he could manage in someway to give Daryl some strength to keep taking that next step away from Atlanta, to make the tough choices needed to survive, then tonight wasn’t a total loss.

“So Fort Benning?”

Shane nods, feeling the scar beneath his palm, the way Daryl’s fingers play gingerly with the number about his neck whilst they lay in the too small tent together. It’s the first time that Daryl has actually spoken about their future destination, usually he’s still contemplating going back to Atlanta, just tagging along to survive. Shane knows the other man is useful, a good shot and a good hunter, the kind of man they’d need to protect the group and keep Carl and Lori safe. “Fort Benning.” He agrees, feeling Daryl still against him, settling to sleep without the worry of another nightmare.

“It’s a good choice, better than the CDC.” Daryl replies, his voice low and Shane can feel as his body begins to sag with sleep, resting against him fully. Shane yawns loudly, allowing his head to rest back against the ground and letting exhaustion take him, feeling Daryl’s breathing against him as he finally manages to get some rest.

It had been a difficult choice to make, especially after the CDC and the fear of the unknown being thrown at them. But he figures it’s the best choice for them as a group and though he’ll never admit it out loud, he’s pleased that Daryl has made the choice to go with them. Even if it was the most difficult choice in the world to leave behind your brother.


End file.
